


how to fence with your girlfriend's brother

by ERNest



Category: Hamlet - Shakespeare
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Dialogue Heavy, F/M, Fencing, M/M, Magical Realism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 12:06:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18872887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ERNest/pseuds/ERNest
Summary: Salute and begin“What do you want with my sister?”Smirk “What does any guy want with your sister?”





	1. rules of engagement

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter One was originally written in 2011 for the Big Gay Hamlet Ficathon on livejournal.

Salute and begin

“What do you want with my sister?”

Smirk “What does any guy want with your sister?”

Strike “Horny bastard”

Deflect “Prince of Denmark”

Drive forward “Why her?”

Push back “She’s hot. Why not her?”

“It’s my job to protect her”

Aim for shoulder “Does she want that?”

Dodge “She needs it”

“How do you know?”

Spin and deflect “Do you care for her at all?”

Attack leg “She’s nice enough”

Only air “So it could be any girl in Denmark”

“Didn’t say that”

Sudden, sharp “Hurt someone else, why don’t you!”

Wince “I don’t want to hurt anyone”

“You will”

Forward again “Not my fault”

Keep at arm’s length “Whose then?”

Shrug “My madness”

Lunge “That’s not good enough”

Dance to the side “Nothing’s good enough for you”

On the offensive “Take responsibility for your actions”

Upset and losing control “I’m trying to, but you won’t listen”

Scuffle, some hits, no words.

At ease “I’m listening now, so talk”

“It has to be her”

Frustrated “Tell me why”

Charge “Because it can’t be you”

Let guard down “What?”

Disarm “I love her because she reminds me of you”

Sword forgotten, grab collar “Don’t fuck with me”

Maintain eye contact “Dead serious”


	2. fit and seasoned for the passage

**Hamlet:** Our bodies fit together.

 **Laertes:** Yes. _(beat_ ) They used to.

 **Hamlet:** My knuckles, your cheek. your teeth, my throat. And our breath, always that. What _happened_ Lae?

 **Laertes:** We just eroded each other’s shores.

 **Hamlet:** Well then.

 **Laertes:** Well then.

( _They fight, but draw no blood; only petals_ )

 **Hamlet:** (gazing at their wounds) It’s beautiful! Did you know we had all this beauty within us?

 **Laertes:** When we laid my sister in the earth, from her uncorrupted flesh did violets grow. But that shouldn’t be _us_.

 **Hamlet:** I am myself indifferent honest, and I can say that between us is enough corruption to populate a Senate.

 **Laertes:** Do you think…

 **Hamlet:** What? ( _the silence drags on between them_ ) Laertes! What do you suppose I might think?

 **Laertes:** Do you think forgiveness could be a garden? ( _He presses his hand over a cut deep in his side, and lets it go_ ) Mine and my father’s death come not upon you, nor yours on me?

 **Hamlet:** Maybe. It’s worth hoping, at least. ( _Laertes falls. He will not rise again, not here_ ) Heaven make you free of it.


End file.
